The Secret of the Chamber of Secrets
by lilguji
Summary: After being possessed by Riddle's Diary, Ginny has changed. She has become a completely different person and no one knows. Of all people, Draco Malfoy stumbles into this secret of hers that she's been hiding for a long time. How can she win against Destiny if Destiny's determined to fight back?
1. The Diary

**Author's Notes: **Hello again. This story has grown with me over these past NINE years and though it has been shifted to the back of my mind again and again as life has taken over, it has never been truly forgotten. This is going to be another hiatus while I revise leading up to the posting of a new chapter. From there, we will see if I can make this the last break till the finale. Expect a lot of changes. There are so many things that I wrote as they came to me and as fun and freeing that sort of writing can be, it takes more than that to write a complete "good" story. I'll hopefully be fixing plot holes and issues that I fixed using good old "author's privilege" so bear with me and I hope you take the ride with me again. Thank you everyone for sticking with me. I hope my creation lives up to your expectations. Laterz...Lilguji

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own it, never did and never will.

_**The Secret of the Chamber of Secrets**_

September 1st

Dear Diary,

How ironic isn't it? Me, Ginny Weasley, writing in a diary again even after all the things that had happened to me last year. But this past summer has been excruciating since my family has not let me out of their sight. Constantly being watched for any signs of "trouble" or "oddness". As if I'll suddenly go back to being possessed again. I swear Ron even tried to hide parchment from me in case I felt the need to start writing again and it was a chore just to complete my summer assignments. No matter what I did, someone was constantly following me, asking if I was "all right" or if I needed anything. And while it was touching that my family cared about me and wanted to support me in my time of need, they need to get a clue as to when a girl just wants to be left alone. Honestly though, at times when I was feeling frustrated with their clinginess, it was hard not to ask them where their care was while I was at school. It's only the fact that they really _do_ care for me that's allowed me to hold my tongue. And if they're overcompensating because of their guilt, well, I can forgive their faults since they've so readily forgiven mine.

It's probably ungrateful of me to vent like this when their overbearing-ness has helped so much in getting over the trauma and embarrassment from last year's events. While the nightmares have almost stopped, the lingering embarrassment at my own stupidity still remains. It's better now, after all, most things get better with time, and hopefully, it'll be even easier at school where only a few people know the exact truth of the events from the Chamber. I'll be able to forget, or at least, push the memories from my mind. The helplessness of being unable to control your own body, the feeling of despair as I tried to fix the problem only for the diary to fall into someone else's hands, the guilt knowing that you are responsible for attacks on other students and the dread that the next attack could leave someone dead. All these emotions have haunted my dreams and tainted my memories of what should have been one of the best years of my life. Away from home, away from the constant support and comfort that kept these feelings fresh, maybe now I'll be able to truly forget. Hogwart's is big school after all, how hard can it be to avoid all the places that remind me of my wrongs? Wait, don't answer that.

Hah! You can't answer though can you, diary? You were a gift from Collin to replace last year's diary when it became full. Of course he didn't know that it would never happen but here you are, useful after all. A simple and blessedly normal diary that doesn't write back; just a place to vent and gather my thoughts. A place where there's only me and no one else can intrude. I've shared my body with the soul of an evil boy, now all I want is solitude and that is exactly what you are going to give me.

Collin's younger brother Dennis is starting this year. He and a bunch of other firsties are sitting with us and making a racket. He's an excitable fellow and if he gets sorted into Gryffindor then I know I'm going to have a noisy year. You'll be my savior then won't you Diary? I'm surprised though that Ron and his friends haven't checked on me yet. It's been almost half an hour and Ron kept insisting in front of Mum that he would. Oh well, not sure why I'm surprised that they forgot all about me the moment we left home. I knew it would happen but after the way Ron acted all summer, I hoped - expected them to check up on me.

I should get back to Collin now, he wanted to take a walk around and a break from the noise is sounding pretty welcome right now. I'll write later.

Ginny Weasley


	2. The Fear

**Author's Notes:** I have a feeling that the edit is gonna be much more expansive than I thought. The Ginny that I built in my mind needs so much more to give her character justice. The original first few chapters feel so rushed and I hated that even when I first wrote them. Hopefully now it'll feel better. Laterz…Lilguji.

**Disclaimer:**I don't own any part of J.K. Rowling's beautiful work.

_**The Secret of the Chamber of Secrets**_

_**Chapter 2**_

September 1st

_In bed, 10 P.M._

Dementors…horrid, horrid creatures. Even now, hours later and after a Welcome Feast I barely remember, the cold feeling lingers. It's like all the memories are fresh again, months of work, months of trying to forget and move on, undone in just a few minutes. How can anyone survive Azkaban? And how will I survive the year? They're posted on the Hogwarts's borders and in front of the main gate. I'm glad I'm not a Third year yet; I would never be able to pass by them for Hogsmeade weekends. And what if they come out to the grounds for Quidditch games? Or attack students by mistake? How could Dumbledore let them anywhere near school? Sirius Black or not, Dementors were a stupid idea.

I'm scared to sleep. The nightmares will be back tonight.

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September 2nd

Well, I was right. The nightmares came. Don't know how I'm going function in classes today. It's a small blessing that I didn't wake any of my roommates but I don't know how I'll be able to stay quiet tonight.

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September 3rd

I don't know what's wrong with me. It must be the lack of sleep. Last night the nightmares returned and I've been up half the night for fear of falling asleep again. Regardless, yesterday and now today too, the same thing happened. I've been taking long walks around the castle to try to clear my mind and I always end up in the corridor that leads to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The one place I never want to see again is that damned bathroom and yet that's the place my feet take me. Even in my nightmares, all I see is that corridor, the wet floors, red paint. Usually _he_ has a starring role in my nightmares but last night's focus was entirely on this corridor. The corridor leading to the second floor girl's bathroom. The bathroom where the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets is hidden. It's laughable, what the hell was Salazar Slytherin thinking? Yes, no one would _ever _think that the entrance would be in a girl's bathroom of all places but wouldn't an heir, a _boy_, have trouble accessing it? It would've been less suspicious and far more reasonable to pick a boy's bathroom if it had to be a bathroom at all.

But that's not the point. Point is, I'm still drawn to the entrance and I'm worried. What if _He's_ not gone? Some part of _Him_ is still somewhere inside of me, biding time till it can take over again. These nightmares have left me exhausted and it's only been two nights. If they continue then what? I'm already wandering there and I'm only exhausted, what's going to happen if I still can't get any sleep? Worse still, until I find out whether there's something wrong or just Dementor induced paranoia, I'm going to overthink myself into more nightmares. It'll just be a horrible circle of dreading and nightmares until I go crazy and end up in the Hospital Wing. If I end up there again, I'll never get peace again from my family and it'll draw all sorts of attention that I don't want.

The only solution I can think of is to go to Myrtle's bathroom and see what happens. If something does happen, I'll know what the problem is and can fix it. If nothing happens, I'll find peace and the nightmares can stop. Besides, I can say hi to Myrtle as well. I'm sure she'll love the chance to cry to somebody. I'll write again when I get there.

Bathroom:

Myrtle's overjoyed to see me. No one ever comes to the bathroom unless they have no choice and no one _ever _seeks her out just to say hello. She's bouncing around giggling. I don't think I've ever seen her smiling. I did find out one thing, and it's that _He_ does not control me. The feeling of attraction went away the moment I touched the sink where the entrance to the Chamber is. I'm relieved but this just draws up more questions. What does it mean that I was drawn here at all? It doesn't matter right now, I'm happy and Myrtle's happy too. I think I'll come visit her more often, hopefully after a good night's sleep.

Ginny Weasley


	3. The Stupid

**AN:** Yeah, I'm starting to hate everything I wrote. Worse yet, I know what's coming up and the idea of rewriting it all is making me cringe. Should be worth it though. Laterz…Lilguji.

Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

_**The Secret of the Chamber of Secrets**_

_**Chapter 3 **_

September 25th

Dear Diary,

Last night was the first night without any nightmares at all. A full night of blessed, blessed sleep. Maybe now the casual strolls that lead up to the same bathroom will _finally_ stop. It's weird that after my visit to Myrtle's bathroom, my nightmares have been solo-ed by _Him_, not a single mention of the corridor or even the bathroom. But during the day, if I take a walk, my feet would eventually lead me back there. I haven't gone in though, usually I'll snap out of it the moment the red paint on the wall comes into view and turn right around to walk away. Sometimes, if I was feeling extra dazed, I wouldn't notice until my hand would be reaching for the door.

But now, feeling more rested than I have since the beginning of term, I'm determined to stay away from that bathroom. No more walks ending up in weird places for this girl. And hopefully, no more nightmares.

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September 29th

Dear Diary,

I've been stupid. There's no other word for it really, just plain stupid. I should've learned my lesson after last year right? But here I am, ignoring the warning signs that something is obviously wrong in the hopes that it'll go away. It's been four days and I've only had one nightmare. I've been sleeping well; I no longer look like death warmed over, and now that I'm not exhausted I have an appetite again. Yet, my feet still lead me to that damned bathroom. I've even gone in and talked with Myrtle. It's creepy though that the moment I enter, I seem to focus only on the sink and have to reach out and touch the little engraved snake before I can focus on anything else. It's the oddest compulsion that just stops the moment my fingers brush the stone.

This is a sign that _something's _wrong, right? I should tell someone but I really don't know who. Who would understand? They'd think I was crazy; losing it again. Or worse, they'd think I just wanted the attention so I was making up stories. So really, I don't know what to do. If I think about it, the compulsion really is pretty harmless. It doesn't force me into anything. No nightmares or sleep walking. And Myrtle's there to greet me every time I enter the bathroom. She waits for me now since she knows when I have my breaks. After the compulsion dissipates, I transfigure a loose stone into a wobbly stool and sit and talk to her. If I have my books, I do some work or write in my diary.

It's surprisingly relaxing considering all the bad memories I associate with the place. And while I love Collin; consider him to be my best friend even, Myrtle fills the lack of female company that I've had since last year. Before school started, my best friend was Luna Lovegood who is my childhood friend and neighbor. Even now, we're on good terms and although she's odd, she's still a great friend. But she's in Ravenclaw and most of my classes are paired with Slytherin. The girls in my dorm all avoid me now after the fiasco of last year. We got along fine in the beginning sure, but once _He_ had me, I isolated myself. It's been near impossible to bridge the gap these past few weeks while also dealing with the exhaustion from the nightmares. So Myrtle is turning out to be good company when she's not whining or sobbing about something. She's also pretty decent help with homework despite the fifty year gap from the last time she attended class.

So now I wonder, what to do, what to do?

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October 20th

Dear Diary,

I know I haven't written anything important in a while but it's almost like nothing has happened. The compulsions haven't disappeared but it feels normal now, almost like a ritual to head to Myrtle's bathroom during my breaks and touch the little snake before sitting down. And my initial thoughts on Myrtle being good company haven't changed. She's the biggest gossip ever, even more so than the upper year Gryffindor's who are _always_ talking about somebody. As a ghost, she has access to the entire castle and she's been listening through walls for the past fifty years. So of course there's always something to be learned about my classmates and professors. And she always manages to make me laugh whether the story she's telling me is old or new.

Today though was different. I confessed about my compulsions and she didn't laugh it off. I think it did scare her a bit. Kinda funny right? I spooked a spook! But bad humor aside, talking about the compulsions to come to the bathroom brought up all sorts of questions. The fact that the compulsions were still there almost two months into term meant that there was something more. The only conclusion we could come to was that something wanted me to go back to the Chamber. It's stupid and dangerous and brought up all sorts of other doubts. How can I be sure that it really _isn't _Him? I had dismissed the worry earlier because the compulsions felt benign and the idea that they were something else _felt_ right somehow. That alone should've rung warning bells but it was so much easier to ignore the worries and focus on other things.

Stupider still is the fact that both of us are actually considering going down there. We argued for quite a bit about it. There were so many mysteries and secrets surrounding the Chamber itself and the only solution to the puzzle at hand was going to be found down there. It made sense to want to go down and find out for ourselves. Of course it's utterly idiotic for a Second year girl and a ghost to do something so dangerous, alone no less but the basilisk is dead. What else is left that could possibly be dangerous? With a little planning, this little adventure should be doable. And it'll bring me closure won't it? To see the place I almost died and see the remains of the battle and the body of the giant snake. Also, my brother and his friends are _always_ doing stupid and dangerous things that they have no right to be doing. In comparison to some of the stunts that they've pulled in the past, this is nothing.

Regardless, it's all going to be a moot point if I can't even get in. We've theorized that it should still be possible. The wards on the Chamber should recognize me from my earlier trips down there when I was possessed. The only real issue is the Parseltongue for the password and I've had my suspicions over the summer that it's a little gift that _He_ left behind. Over the summer I would sometimes hear little whispers, words that I could barely make out when I was alone in the orchards. I didn't tell anyone at the time because I thought it was just my imagination but now that the discussion has been brought up, I'm starting to think it might've been the garden snakes that like to frequent the lands around the Burrow.

Both of us have decided that if this is going to happen, then our best bet is going to be Halloween. It's a Hogmeade weekend and no one (namely my brother) will notice if I'm gone all day. Collin might ask but he's getting used to me spending obscene amounts of time wandering the castle alone. So we have just over a week to plan our personal adventure. If I'm going to do this, I need to think of failsafe's just in case this is more serious than I imagined. I'm not going to let myself fall into a trap like last year without leaving myself a way out.

Ginny Weasley


	4. The Adventure Begins

**Author's Notes:** Seeing the blue lights where the WTC used to be. Time passes so quickly.

On the brighter side of things, I'm pretty overjoyed to have new readers! Thank you for the reviews! And I hope my old readers like the changes I've made. On with the story. Laterz...Lilguji

Disclaimer in Chapter 1.

_**The Secret of the Chamber of Secrets**_

Chapter 4

October 31st ~ Halloween ~ All Hallows Eve

I was filled with nerves. Myrtle and I were standing in front of the entrance ready to begin our adventure. I had stolen the sheets off of one of the empty beds in my dorm. My year only had 2 other Gryffindor girls, so we had plenty of sheets and blankets to go around. With the Hogsmeade trip today, all I had to do was wake up early and stash my things in the broom closet at the end of the hallway. After the upper years left, it was easy enough to slip out of the quiet common room and make my way to the second floor. With the hallways empty, no one noticed the long, lumpy sheet-covered package I was carrying. So now I stood in front of the sink, my Cleansweep 7 in hand and sheet wrapped around my body, thinking of ways to stall. Of course, once I realized I was stalling, I had no choice but to make myself take a step forward.

I took a deep breath and stared at my pale reflection for a moment longer. My gaze was automatically drawn from the mirror to the carved snake.

"Open up." Although I didn't hear myself say anything different, the effect was immediate. The sink in front of me fell away while the ones next to it shifted to the side. In a matter of seconds, the pipe that led down below was exposed.

"Oh Merlin." I muttered under my breath.

"Ginny! Ginny! It worked! I told you it would work and now we can go down together!"

There was a roaring in my ears drowning out all sound. I was going to faint, probably, but seconds passed and I didn't, and Myrtle was still hovering around me, excited at the thought of snooping. I took a deep breath and realized that I had forgotten to breathe so I took a few more seconds to steady myself. All questions, all doubts had to be pushed away. The Chamber was open and I opened it. The whys and hows would only be answered if I took the final step forward and went down. And so, I did.

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The journey down was like I remembered but different. Maybe the difference was that I was in the front seat this time. I have memories of my time under _His_ possession, not many, mind you, but some. The pipes were still dirty as ever and I was glad I had wrapped the sheet around me. I was gripping my broom tightly in my lap as I slid down and I realized belatedly, that the ride was actually fun. A giant water slide with twists, turns and what had to be a loop de loop. The sheet soaked up all the sludge and helped me slide down even faster until I finally shot out of the pipe and rolled to a stop.

Untangling myself from the slimy sheets I looked around for Myrtle. I was confused when I didn't see her since she had agreed to wait for me at the bottom. I heard a faint screaming coming from the pipe and tensed when it got louder and louder until a white blur called Myrtle shot out from the pipes, laughing.

"That was so…much…fun! Come on Ginny, lets try it again!" I released the breath I didn't know I was holding and frowned at her laughing form.

"Myrtle you scared me, don't do anything like that again! What was I supposed to think when you weren't waiting for me when I got here?" Sighing and shaking my head I turned to face her again.

"If you really want to do it again, we can try some other time. I'm getting the feeling that one way or another we'll be coming back. Anyways, it just occurred to me, this Chamber was hidden by Salazar Slytherin and considered "lost," which makes it technically not school property. We can even claim ownership as the finders. What do you think? It needs a little work but might be a decent place to hang out." I flashed her a small smile and watched in satisfaction as she paled as much as she could as a ghost. She gave a nervous laugh and started floating up to the ceiling.

"Coward. You said you wanted to come down here, now stop fooling around and let's go."

"Hey, that's not fair. Just because I don't go charging into any situation like you Gryffs, doesn't mean I'm a coward. I was the one who wanted to come down here in the first place." She pouted and I laughed. Bringing Myrtle along was definitely a good idea if only to give me company and run for help should I get into trouble. I started walking purposefully towards the Chamber and she reluctantly followed. I considered casting a Lumos spell but Myrtle gave off enough light to see by. Well, I thought she gave off enough light, but that was before I tripped over the large snakeskin that I had some how forgotten all about. Myrtle came closer to see what happened and caught a glimpse of the harmless skin. With out a second thought her piercing screams filled the tunnel.

"Myrtle! MYRTLE! Its all right, its only a skin and the basilisk is dead inside the Chamber. You can stop screaming now."

"It's not alive? It wont kill me again?" She asked me in a small child-like voice. She reminded me of a toddler who had just seen monsters under the bed and hadn't realized yet that they were just old toys.

"No it's not alive and if its not alive, it can't hurt you let alone kill you. Remember, you're a ghost and ghosts cannot be hurt by anything, not even basilisks," I tried making my voice as soft and convincing as possible. "Are you okay now? Then let's go."

This time I did use a Lumos charm and found that the combined light of the wand and the ghost gave us enough light to see the walls on either side of us. It was then I noticed that there were unlit torches hanging in sconces on the walls. I walked towards the nearest sconce and tried an _incendio_ to ignite it.

I jumped when a parallel torch on the far wall lit up as well. Then in pairs, torches lit up along the passageway about 10 feet apart. There was more than enough light to see by now, in fact, the torches illuminated the entire tunnel and let us see now the path to the Chamber. The bones that littered the floor were covered in dust, undisturbed for the most part except for the middle of the passage where Myrtle and I were traveling and where Ron, Harry and Professor Lockhart had traveled at the end of last year to rescue me. The ceiling was domed and there were arches where the torches were. Snakes carved into the arches provided intimidation for the timid adventurer with the tails curled around the torches and the bodies curved up the arch to the entwined heads in the middle. Ruby red eyes glittered down at us. The light reflected off the stones and I realized that they were real rubies. Thoroughly creeped out and slightly awed by the sudden flash of wealth in such a dump, we continued forward.

"What happened here?" Myrtle asked when we came to a wall of rocks with a gap in the middle.

"This is where Gilderoy Lockhart tried to erase Ron and Harry's memories using Ron's wand. Ron's wand backfired and caused this rockslide. Look, there's the gap that we came through. There's still a ways to go. I'll fly from now on, it'll be faster." I mounted my broom and we were off.

We flew past all the snakes with rubies for eyes and didn't stop until we saw a dead end. I dismounted and studied the stone wall with two more entwined snakes. The eyes on these snakes were green emeralds and I knew that we had reached the Chamber of Secrets.

"Well Myrtle, here we are." We exchanged nervous glances and I stepped up to the snakes. Clearing my throat I concentrated on the snakes in front of me.

"Open" I hissed. And slowly the wall before us parted.

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Edit post date 9/11/13


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